I was hoping to get an antec sonata soon, cut out the back grill and replace it with a standard wire grill, decouple all the fans ect. My question is, would replacing the stock fan in the power supply help alot? Also would it be better to use a panaflo 80m1a of 80L1a? Also what is involded in replacing the stock fan in the antec power supply? Will I have to sodder anything or does it have a plug?

No need to out the back grill -- it is as open as can be, probably as good as a wire grill.

For safety under higher loads, Panaflo M would be better, and close to the quiet level of the L. It will make a significant difference in the noise level. Can't recall whether the pin connector or not... You'll find out.

So you think the m1a would push enough air then. It really only puts out 25db or less compared to the stock fan which you measured at 42db+, thats a pretty big change, you sure i dont need to use a h1a? Id rather be safe than sorry you know. I was asking if you could just plug it in, because in the picture of the inside right view of the power supply in the review you did it looks like a 3 pin fan connector, that would be great to know cause i dont know how to sodder, nor do i have the tools to do it. Thanks for the help by the way

Where the heck is the Sonata? Pricegrabber only shows 3 sellers that don't even have it in stock. It's still not mentioned anywhere on Atec's site. Anyone have more info on where to get one, or when it will arrive?

Supposidly they have sent them out, but they still arent in stock from what ive seen, and if you look hard you can find it on antec's site unless you took it down.
Also anyone know how quiet a 80mmh1a gets when its only getting 5-7v?

It really only puts out 25db or less compared to the stock fan which you measured at 42db+

huh? I did no fan noise comparisons between the two. The stock fan is rated for 42 cfm vs 32 cfm for the Panaflo M. It won't be enough if you plan on drawing >75% power from the PSU on a steady basis, but if you've got a typcail system, it will be plenty. There's little point swapping for Panaflo H -- I think the noise dif would be tiny.

No need to out the back grill -- it is as open as can be, probably as good as a wire grill.

For safety under higher loads, Panaflo M would be better, and close to the quiet level of the L. It will make a significant difference in the noise level. Can't recall whether the pin connector or not... You'll find out.

Hey Mike,

I don't remember how far you got with your Sonata PSU ducting experiment, but do you think even an L1A would be enough if the PSU was getting fresh cool air? Or is the sonata PSU getting fresh cool air already from those side vents?

I have an idea: measure the temp of the intake air at the PSU. In a regular case it must be at least 5-10C above ambient. Could it be less for a sonata PSU?

I did try blocking off the top area of the case from the bottom. The holes that form the world ANTEC across the sides of the case became the only intake vents for the PSU. I thought this would lower the PSU temp and perhaps the CPU temp as well - by giving each discrete fresh air sources. But neither of these things happened. In fact, the temp of one may have gone up-- can't remember the details anymore, but basically the outcome was not positive.

so basically a panaflo pushing 32cfm is quieter than the stock one if it were pushing 32cfm?

Probably. It would still be too loud for me, but that's not what I'd concerned with. If/when the fan in this PSU is running close to 12V, it will be because it is trying to deliver full power (although that would be very hard to do). At that point, you're probably less concerned about noise than about keeping the PSU from cooking.

But when the system is at idle to ~100W, which is for most people, much of the time, the Panaflo M will be considerably quieter than the stock fan. That's the reason you asked about the fan swap in the first place, isn't it?

ok i think i understand now, i just thought that if two fans would need to push about equal airflow to keep the power supply cool and therfore would be about the same noise, but i get what your saying now i think.

GG & everyone else reading about and contemplating PSU mods should know:
1) swapping out a typical fan in a thermistor fan PSU for a Panaflo L (or similar quiet low airflow fan) will mean less airflow at all times, from idle all the way to max power. It means lower noise, particularly at low power (which is the norm for most people's PCs).
2) Therefore, such mods usually mean higher average temps in the PSU and possibly, reduced life.
3) Both of the above effects can be reduced by lowering the airflow impedance to & through the PSU -- cut away grills, duct air efficiently, etc.

Where the heck is the Sonata? Pricegrabber only shows 3 sellers that don't even have it in stock. It's still not mentioned anywhere on Atec's site. Anyone have more info on where to get one, or when it will arrive?

Ok. It looks like Antec has two web sites going. If you go to [url]antec-inc.com[/url] (I did this first because I'm lazy), you won't find the info. You need to go to http://www.antec-inc.com. The www. site appears to be their revamped website.

I posted information on the Compucase A6 case which is similar to the Sonata. I think it is better. With the Antec holes at the top sides, surely you would end up with a closed loop with these holes feeding the power supply rather than warm case air. Also the A6 has four 5.25" bays, not 3. It has five grommet mounted HDD bays, not 4. It is available in black and beige and it is smarter. It comes with the HEC PSU, rated as one of the top three PSUs in the recent test at Tom's Hardware. And the standard 120 mm exhaust fan is thermistor controlled. And the front grille actually lets in sufficient air rather than just being stylised. And it is probably a lot cheaper than the Antec.

the SLPC review of the Sonata had a test sample in white. Anyone know if Antec will offer the Sonata in anything but "piano black"? The black finish looks nice, but everything else I got is boring beige, and I'd rather not take the time to paint it!

I posted information on the Compucase A6 case which is similar to the Sonata. I think it is better. With the Antec holes at the top sides, surely you would end up with a closed loop with these holes feeding the power supply rather than warm case air. Also the A6 has four 5.25" bays, not 3. It has five grommet mounted HDD bays, not 4. It is available in black and beige and it is smarter. It comes with the HEC PSU, rated as one of the top three PSUs in the recent test at Tom's Hardware. And the standard 120 mm exhaust fan is thermistor controlled. And the front grille actually lets in sufficient air rather than just being stylised. And it is probably a lot cheaper than the Antec.

And it isn't anything like the Sonata case. The A6 case appears to be made by the same people that make the SLK3700. The Sonata is significantly different.

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